


Unexpected change in pace

by Helgano



Category: One Piece
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Humor, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-12-07 11:16:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18234137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helgano/pseuds/Helgano
Summary: It was an early morning. Mugiwara crew's members were peacefully sleeping in their rooms, but suddenly somebody's scream could be heard outside. Luffy, their captain, was brave enough to take the initiative and check it out.





	1. 1

It supposed to be just another calm day on the comfortable board of the Thousand Sunny's ship.

It was easy to talk about nice, cold, gently wrapping wind that holds unforgettable smell of the sea depth, seaweed and adventures; or of details, which couldn't be seen by a blind eye, like light creak of the floor while somebody steps in it, a slight glimmer at the night, those shadow laid on the lying objects in the room. All of these small things might avert some attention if this day really was normal.

...Still, it wasn't. The morning began with... Zoro's swearing. You can say that seeing him swear wasn't something out of the ordinal, but hearing him ***scream***, knowing about his serious and calm nature, was. Even the sound of his voice was quite odd because it reminds of squeaking, and that thing alone scared hell out of other members.

The first one to went after him was the captain himself, still sleepy and always hungry. He quickly crossed the line of the door, while whipping eyes by using his fingers, somehow being able to get crumpled red cape under his shoulder.

When their eyes had met, Luffy made a tired groan.

-What's going on, Zoro-? I want to sleep~!- he said, slowly getting dressed in his cape to prevent feeling cold by the morning breeze.

-...- swordsman kept quiet and silently stayed without making any move, like a statue. He was looking attentively at the kitchen's door.

Luffy suspiciously frowned and pounded with clear annoyance, thinking that he was being ignored. Angry muttering could be heard coming from his mouth, showing that he wanted some attention.

-Zo-ro~! Are you even listening-?

-Ca... Captain...- finally answered his companion, not leaving the door even for an instance, as if just a few minutes ago he saw a ghost coming out of there. Such a reserved response from a usually imperturbable man left mugiwara with shivers.

-What happened? We are under attack?! Who are we going to fight with?! - the rubber guy cried out loud, quickly making a pose as a professional boxer could. Green hair shook his head, pointing a finger at the same place he was looking at before.

-You have a fight with Sanji again? - sigh Luffy with relief, slowly lowering arms. He didn't understand a thing about what's going on in here. 'If there isn't any danger, then why to bother so much?'

-Eh, it's like...- Zoro started his speech floridly. Captain still was shaking his head to the left and right, while searching for an answer, before something genial hadn't come to his mind.

-Is Sanji not feeling alright?! I'll bring Chopper. Hey, Cho-!

-That's unnecessary!- he cut him mid-sentence, finally showing any signs of activity. -He is... just kinda strange today.

-Chopper...?- with a great concern asked straw hat, chaotically touching his own chin while thinking.

-No! That damn cook is!

-...?- poor Luffy showed the stupidest face swordsman had ever seen from straw hat boy. Zoro understood that he didn't get it at all, but wasn't able to talk about this anymore.

-You know what, captain? Today I'm going to be as distant to the cook as possible. It's hard to admit, but he is scary as hell!

-...- after just another completely lost look, Zoro officially gave up.

-Just find him yourself...if you dare. I'm not going to interact with him any soon...- he murmured, slowly navigating to the observation tower. Captain was sure that his thighs were trembling a little. Soon he was out of the view, and only the worry was left behind him.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The man's cabin was quiet. The only things that could be seen were terrified pairs of eyes, which were looking intently at the door, showing that room wasn't empty after all. The floor creaked under their's weight, resonating with the heavy breath of the duo, which was flying in the not-that-clear air. Morning dust was slowly dancing through the room, sparkling with beauty like a mix of the small stars, shining under the sunshine's light.

They have been waiting for a while, but nothing had happened within those long minutes. After ten, fifteen, twenty minutes nothing had changed, and pure fear slowly germinated in their's souls.

They were about to die of shock then the quiet steps of the captain could be heard distantly, and, after a few seconds, the door soundly opened. Luffy had a big piece of freshly-cooked meat in his slender hands, grinning widely at the view of his crewmates' scared faces. Chopper and Usopp were holding each other like it was the only way to survive in here, while Brook was in the little distance, nervously playing on the violin to calm them down, even if dramatic melody only made it worse. When skeleton noticed rubber boy, he sighed with relief, placing the instrument gently on the lounger.

-So, Luffy-san, what is going on with Zoro-san?- he asked to broke the silence. Two scared boys were finally calm, ...at least it seemed like that. Straw hat boy tried to make it through the food.

-Hw iz wrrd bou' Snj, bt nt sms lig zt! - he answered while chewing meat, it's little parts can be seen between his white teeth.

-Luffy, I don't understand you at all...- honestly claimed small reindeer, rubbing his fluffy cheek with the hoof-palm. Captain did his best to gulp faster, making food went lower to the end of his bottomless stomach with a specific noise.

-Wa-a~! Yummy~! - said mugiwara with radiating happiness, playfully slamming his slightly rounded rubber abdomen. He noticed a bunch of serious expressions on his friends' faces.

-So what happened to Zoro?! - screamed long-nosed sniper hysterically. It was just too much not to be pissed off by that annoying mystery.

-Oh, right,- hummed Luffy, returning to the main topic,- I don't know for sure. He was suddenly scared of Sanji's strange behavior, but, in my opinion, Sanji is just fine. Bu-u-ut, if I'm 'bout to mention everything, he is too kind today...not saying that's bad at all.

The three of them didn't know how to react. What was odder: scared Zoro or kind Sanji?

Okay, it wasn't like their cook didn't like his nakama, but he was always too...reserved to admit it, to be that clear. He had been acting more like "don't care 'bout you, but I'll cook and also make sure that you're alright" kind. So him being that open was really strange.

-Describe the situation with details... – murmured Chopper, trying to move the conversation. Everybody nodded in agreement.

-...So, after I met Zoro, I had no choice but to check Sanji's well-being,- Luffy dramatically spread his arms while telling the story, his lower part sat on the cold wooden floor,- and then, after I finally stepped in the kitchen...

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

When Robin finished the process of 'tasting' new information, it was already morning. Sun was shining brightly with a warm light (even considering the volatility of Grand Line's climate), which easily came into the comfortable room full of unending lines of books by using clean windows. Now every moment, every morning passed with her crew made her extremely happy and in peace, made her want to know more about world's history while being aware of the presence of her nakama's protection.

Every time she woke up, the genuine smile appeared on her beautiful face; the smile she was sure won't ever be here since her mother's death. Robin was sure that there's nothing to worry about, because she finally felt important, felt that her life's worth something; that from the day she was officially returned until the distant day then all their's dreams will be fulfilled, nothing would be similar to her past, everything was unpredictable.

'I wonder, what is going to happen today~?'- she thought excitedly. Then she was about to place books on the proper shelf with care, somebody loudly knocked.

-Yes, come in,- she said, hiding rising curiosity. The only thing that really showed her true emotions was a small mischievous smile.

A big pink hat could be seen near the doorknob. Childishly naive black eyes were looking with warmth and concern, uncertainly exploring all kind of books, environment and her. The voice inside screamed that something bad was going to happen, but even her knowledge wasn't enough to fully decipher his pure soul. Robin slowly came closer, step by step.

-Robin...- nervously squeaked Chopper, looking with hope in her eyes.

-Did something happen? - motherly like kindness sounded so natural in Nico's voice while she was talking with the cute doctor-reindeer, that she, without thinking, sat on her knees to be on the same height he was in. Chopper was comfortable like that.

-Yes, it did, – he said with trembling lips, it startled Robin,- something weird happened to Sanji, but I'm too scared to check him out. I'm a disappointment as a doctor, am I?

-Doctor-san...- her voice sounded sad, with a slight note of almost invisible pity. -I don't think so. I can't imagine how hard it is to see your friends in pain, but you are able to cure them. Doctor-san is very talented, so there is nothing to worry about... - she paused to briefly look at his reaction. -If you want, I can check cook-san out. If something happens – I'll call you immediately.

-...- he didn't say anything, just stared in the floor with unhidden shame. Even when Chopper wasn't looking at her, it was so easy to predict his face expression.

-So, what do you think about it?- Robin's voice was as light as a butterfly's wings, her face was decorated with a knowing smile. Reindeer, after hearing her kind words, raised his head. His cheeks were a little red (even though the fur).

-Is it really fine, Robin? - she showed her agreement through nodding. -You are really not disappointed in me?- she nodded again.

At that moment his face was shining with a bright smile full of gratitude, his sigh was colored with relief; but later he was fiercely blushing, while everything inside him screamed: "I'm not happy that you take care of me at all, baka!"

-I'm going then. Be ready, doctor-san – said women. Even without showing it, she was worried about cook-san's well-being.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Robin slowly left the kitchen. Her face had unreadable emotion in it – something similar to cold-hearted indifference, or confusion, or combination of both. This condition was so weird and unnatural, that Franky, who had been walking nearby for a while, stopped immediately. He wasn't bad enough to ignore such a suspicious behavior of his crewmate.

-Sister-Robin, is everything alright? - he asked with pure concern, trying to attract historian's attention. Cyborg' steal hand raised a little in a friendly way to show giant red palm with big rectangle fingers.

-Yes...- she answered uncertainly, nervously leaning on the Sunny's wall.

-Is everything really alright? Somebody isn't feeling SUPER good?

-Eh, yes, I guess, but...- she was interrupted by the creak of the wooden door of her own room. A very familiar fluffy figure came out of it.

-Robi-i-in~! - reindeer squealed in despair. -Is Sanji alright and well-? I don't want to insist too much, but I'm a little wo-

His eyes suddenly met with Franky's.

-Oh? Hello, Chopper-aniki! Something' with Sanji-aniki? - asked half-robot, the doctor just averted his gaze with guilt.

-Hi, yes...- He started his explanation. -Luffy said Sanji is kinda strange today...and I'm a little scared. He took a pause, but then happily mumbled afterward. -He still threatened me with all that 'food supplies' thing, so I asked Robin to do it, just to be sure...

-...- Robin just stayed here, looking distantly in the bright blue sky, while slightly cold wind played mischievously with her raven-black hair, it flew in the air disobediently.

Historian still didn't know how to react, but odd excitement silently spread in the veins. Her pinkly lips opened without rush. The gentle voice clearly ran in their ears:

-Actually...

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Nami was hard to fall asleep. It was still early morning, the birds were singing (more precisely, seagulls), the breath of the sea could be heard through the open windows...but something was different. She herself didn't know what. And no, it had nothing to do with the weather – it was, strangely, good; as good as it could be in the Grand Line, the most unpredictable ocean flow.

She just sat in her bed for a while, still wearing a nightgown, hands lying on the knees. Nami's gaze was drifting sleepily, thoughts were distant. After minutes passed, she finally noticed the absence of Robin, her roommate, and the concern grew.

'She usually wakes up early and read until breakfast is ready, so, logically, she should be here...'- tangerine-haired girl thought, an idea of searching for her popped up. But, firstly, she needed to change clothes...

...or not. She was too curious to care about her appearance. After all, they were like a family, right? There's nothing to be embarrassed about, ...right?

 

Even at such an early hour (supposedly), she had some fresh ideas about what-to-do.

'So', – Nami thought, crossing legs while thinking, her head tilted a little, - 'where can be Robin?

There are five different variants:

a) in the library

b) in her room (she obviously isn't here, but let it be)

с) observation tower

d) close to the aquarium; and, finally, e) in the kitchen'

Selfishly rumbling stomach beckoned to search in kitchen, and it was too hard to protest. She immediately moved in the direction of the kitchen.

It was too quiet on the board, even considering time: there weren't noises of a heavy snoring, or of a big crash of Luffy's body falling down on the cold floor, which then returned on its place like a yo-yo toy after somebody's punch; or of Usopp's heroic mumbling of his great achievements at the night – everything was in an innocent silence.

Girl's legs smoothly crossed the distance, leaving behind light crunches of the floor. When Nami finally could see the place she want clearly, to her surprise, she wasn't alone in the room. Yes, officially she was searching for Robin, but deep down navigator didn't believe that she would find her in here. Maybe intuition was on cartographer's side after all... It was, eh, nice.

But, after closing the door lightly, she was met with the shadow of the familiar back. It wasn't as unexpected, even if Nami didn't know for sure when he exactly wakes up, but the stove was very much like an alive person, full of actions. Smell, which was coming from his workplace, was so good, that you could eat cook himself by mistake. And, talking about the cook, Sanji still didn't notice her.

A weird thought suddenly came in her head – Sanji was quite nice to be around when he was holding his tongue. 'Eh, if he wasn't as lovey-dovey as he is, Sanji could be considered as an ideal man! Visually he is handsome, then why when he opens his mouth it turns into disaster...?' -orange-haired navigator thought and decided to watch cook a little by the wall.

Sanji was very serious and neat. In the fights his actions were always quick, clever, concentrated; he had always been ready to kick somebody with his strong legs, so it was odd to see him that calm. His hands, like in the middle of a dance, were fluently drifting in the thin air, looked inside the shelves, cut and mixed together ingredients. All his moves were magnificent: he was like a famous artist, who with calmness and passion painted tight canvas; he was like a sculptor, who slowly deleted unnecessary details to recreate amazing beauty of his muse. He had never been so handsome in her eyes as he was at that moment of peeling vegetables. Those moments of excitement and admiration were interrupted by his hands, that stopped aloft the still empty dishes. Blue, like the ocean deepness, eyes were turning to the side of a sudden voice behind...just to meet her gaze. She was ready to beat him for his upcoming pervert jokes or stupid compliments, but there was just a timid sigh.

-Ah, it's you. Good morning, Nami-san – he said calmly after understanding who made the noise behind his back. He immediately returned to his work.

Nami was a little shocked. She expected a completely different reaction: heart-shaped eyes, who-knows-from-were presented rose, some fresh drink or, at least, greeting with small compliment...but no. It wasn't just her confidence: navigator felt his attention on her every day, again and again, so that 'queenly' treatment was normal and banal; day began and end with this.

'Eh, who knows? Maybe, he had a hard time falling asleep too' – she thought, still quizzically looking at his back with special attention.

… And ... silence …

-Um, Nami-san? - he asked uncertainly after a couple of minutes. -Do you need anything from me?

-...?! - she squeaked confusedly. 'It's not like I need anything from you at... stop. Oh, right...'

-...Eh, hi, Sanji-kun, - she awkwardly cleared her throat, trying to create a normal sentence,- have you seen Robin today? By the time I woke up, she was already gone. I'm a little worried.

-Ah, so that's it, - he sighed with relief, while slowly wrapping up the sleeves to the level of his elbows so they wouldn't stay in the way, - yes, I saw her recently. You, apparently, missed her. Try looking in your room, maybe she has already returned.

If minutes ago Nami was just annoyed, now she was really concerned. 'Is he alright? It looks like he isn't happy to see me. It's not like I'm a center of the universe and all, but just react somehow!'

-Um... - navigator tried to take the initiative and start the conversation again. If she had told her past self that she wants to attract Sanji's attention, the orange-haired girl would have not believed.

\- Yes? - he told with his natural radiating kindness, listening to her words as attentively as the mother listens to her child's voice. She was a little uncomfortable.

-Uh... S-Sanji-kun... - her words were uncertain because of embarrassment. -I...

-Yes...? - he asked again, turning to face her. It made cartographer even more nervous.

-Do you have anything light to eat? It's early, I know, but I didn't have dinner yesterday, so...

-Don't worry! - he said softly, walking in the direction of the locked ( from some gluttons) fridge. Sanji had easily unlocked it, took a little sandwich and, after making a glass of orange juice, presented full tray to her.

-Please, enjoy your meal, Nami-san – blond told with the smile on the face, but, after remembering his duty, quickly returned to the work.

Nami was left behind with the tray in her hand, without knowing what to do. All the plans were suddenly sinking in the ocean of her thoughts, and, because of that, she had no ideas left. In her tangerine-haired head were everyday images of the usually annoying cook, of him jumping from happiness after her approach, or of his funny flirting. And no, he was still kind to her, but... something important was absent.

Now she missed the feeling of being important. The girl noticed that his 'mellorine~!', even being annoying, had some warmness inside. She enjoyed that he cared about her, even if she was used to do everything without somebody's help; she enjoyed the feeling of protection that he tried to give to her as much as possible, in which he succeeded, but she would never admit it out loud.

That thought made her sick of herself. He was still a human, so, maybe, something was up with him. The thought that he didn't want to pay attention to navigator did not even occur to her, because it was too unbelievable.

The silence was too deep and hard to bear, so, after murmuring quiet 'thanks', she quickly ran out of the kitchen. She didn't hear him answer, because, when he was about to open his mouth, the door was already closed. She walked fast through the corridor, without noticing that full heavy tray was still in her hands.

Nami's thoughts were distant.


	2. 2

Zoro couldn't even imagine that his little trip to the kitchen would turn out that badly.

It was just dawn as a swordsman's training came to an end. His muscles were aching slightly, while fresh sweat ran through his bare back and chest, leaving light shone brightly on them under the influence of sunlight. His face had a self-confident smile in it when an uncountable amount of dumbbells were raised and lowed for the thousandth time with an unexpected easiness. He put dumbbells on soft green grass. 'Nothing is better than the cold alcohol and some sleep after a morning work-out'- Zoro thought, slowly raising and wiping sweat from his forehead. 'It means that I need to go to the kitchen. I hope that that jerk won't be in here...but really, why will he? I guess, that bastard-cook is now watching his seventh erotic dream, what other can he do?'.

Everything seemed good and fine until Zoro understood how cruel the reality was. He just started to get accustomed to the new ship's environment. Sunny was a big ship itself, even more so if considering the previous one, Going Marry: there were a lot of rooms, library, kitchen, cabinets...hell, there was even an aquarium with lots of fishes inside! Still, though he did like some renovation and comfort which it gave, there was one important problem - he had no idea where to go despite the fact that he had been traveling on it for a while.

After an unknown period of time (it's better to leave details behind for the reader's safety) swordsman finally reached his destination. He couldn't tell himself how long it had really taken to come in here, but it was hard not to leave a sigh of relief when he saw familiar walls of the kitchen. It was clear that the cook was there and green-haired man would need to deal with him, but Zoro could leave the pride aside for a while, because sake wouldn't drink itself, right?

And, yes, he wasn't mistaken: Sanji stood in his usual place, preparing the ingredients for the future meal. The room was so quiet that only swordsman's arrival, full of small sounds like a noise of the steps, his hard breathing after long training, a light ringing of swords inside the sheaths attract blonde's attention. When Sanji was turning his head, Zoro was thinking about his upcoming insults but received only a formal nod in the end. It would scare green-head if he wasn't so concentrated on the thirst and fatigue.

-Oi, ero-cook, is there any sake left-? - asked Zoro, slowly moving closer to the fridge. He had a hope that a «redhead witch", how he called our sweet navigator, wasn't the one to reach alcohol first.

When swordsman was gazing intently at the fridge, cook started to search for something in his pants' pockets. After all, he found out a small copper key, pained in a light-gray color.

-Take it,- he said to Zoro,- everything you find is yours... - he mumbled sweetly and gave an item. Swordsman stared at him suspiciously but didn't change his tone of voice.

-You are strangely calm. Did you finally swallow your poisoned tongue?

-What do you mean, Zoro-san? I can see how tired you are and don't want to bother you with any conversations. But, if you are in a mood to talk – I am here for you.

...It was the moment when he felt wrong. Green-head didn't know where to start...oh, no, he did: Sanji said his name properly, even using the honorific "-san". It was rather a sadistic joke or he should find a good doctor. Zoro couldn't believe that Sanji was able to speak normally, so he tried to search for a deep meaning. 'Does he need something from me?'

-Also...-Sanji had remembered about something and continued his speech with a grin. -Didn't Chopper-san inform you that drinking alcohol that early in the morning isn't the right thing to do?

-damage received-

...It's bad for your health!

-Critical damage!-

We are friends, I'm worried about you!

-You are dead. Want to try again?-

Zoro was in pain and had a hard time trying to understand what was being said. His survival instincts insisted on running away, but pride was defending his honor. He decided to attack.

-What's with you today, ero-cook? Your politeness is making me sick,- his words were so confident that Zoro himself started to calm down, - If you want to talk with somebody that badly – try to find your dear mellorine!

Blond was a little confused with that statement.

-"M-mellorine"? What does it have to do with an ice cr...,- he was about to finish, but then stopped abruptly. His grin became even bigger,- Ah, I think I get it! Is it like a new slang word? Zoro-san, I didn't know that you're so into this!

After that swordsman was left speechless, and even those words, which sounded like an old man trying to follow trends, weren't that scary to him. If blond himself didn't know his own phrase than there's no way to help anymore.

Now that level of danger was beyond any expectations, Zoro had forgotten about his pride and tried to run away as quickly as possible... but when he tried to, Sanji's hand touched his shoulder.

Scream of horror and confusion could be heard on the different side of the Grand Line.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Luffy was very tired. And no, it wasn't because of hight mental or physical activities – he hadn't even been able to wake up properly and there already were some problems. Captain was worried about the cook, his rubber stomach started to eat itself and the sun had just raised!

Straw hat decided on checking Sanji immediately and ran to the kitchen as fast as a bullet from the gun. Blond was confused and nearly dropped his ladle after the loud opening of the door and unexpected noise coming from it. His eyes... or, more likely, the eye was directed on the young man's face, who came nearer and pull poor Sanji closer by the stylish and tidy sky-blue shirt.

-Sanji! - Luffy screamed with genuine seriousness, without losing his grip. - Zoro said that you are acting strange today. Is it right?!

-Eh... - twirly-brow felt silent for a moment, still looking on his captain's face. Slowly the answer awkwardly flipped from his lips, breaking the uncomfortable pause. It was hard to tell if it was really an answer or a question. -No?

The time stopped moving for a while. Luffy narrowed his bright black eyes, which looked like they could see through your whole body. He didn't move even in an inch. Black-haired captain's face had an image of a clever idea on it. Even so, he said:

-Are you sure?

Sanji nodded uncertainly.

-...

...Ah, then it's okay! I started to worry a little! - he said with an honest relief and finally released the cook from his tough grip.

On the kind, rubber face appeared a happy grin...but the idyll was broken by a hard grumble of Luffy's stomach.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As was being said million times, it was an early morning. Nico Robin, after exiting from her own cabin with Chopper, tried to close the door as quietly as possible (making sure not to wake up still sleeping navigator) using her "additional" hand.

At first they just stayed in here, silent, because Robin still didn't have a proper plan. On the one hand, if she decided on just talking to him, it might show the truth without trying; but on the other one, …what could she do to help him? Cook-san had always had a good impression on her and, even if she sometimes disagreed with some of his 'life positions', his kindness hadn't come unnoticed. She really did want to help her nakama, but what could she possibly do?

...In the end, she decided on understanding the situation first, and then improvise with solving problems.

Historian's long monologue was interrupted by Chopper, who shyly pull the edge of her coat. It was easy to understand the meaning behind this action – 'it's time to go, or something can happen to the cook-san while I am procrastinating'

-At least let me accompany you to the kitchen...,- murmured reindeer, still in fear. Even so, he held a determination in his words. Historian was too kind to tell him otherwise and reject his suggestion because she did know that it might hurt him.

They started to go together with adamant intentions, and it slightly reminded her of a queen at the castle, who had always been accompanied by an honorable, brave guard. Robin followed him with a happy expression but kept silent all that time. She could feel the fire in Chopper's soul rising with new power, new light much brighter than before...

. . . but it quickly extinguished in the air when they had finally arrived.

-W-well, then y-you can go on yourself now...- said reindeer, moving closer to the door knob. His hooves and knees were visibly shaking. All attempts to make a calm face were so bad, even Luffy wouldn't believe in them. -I-if something happens, don't worry, I'm n-not scared, just call m-me...

-Yes, of course...- she answered with an awkward smile and came inside the kitchen. She could tell for sure that she saw that he had crossed his "fingers" by her lateral vision.

When Robin came inside, she saw a familiar profile of cook, who had just recently finished the preparation of ingredients, and now was getting ready to start with the main part of cooking. Then he heard steps behind him. Sanji greeted her in a friendly way, and then returned to do his work. She stood here in pure silence.

'Nothing unusual, it seems...',- historian thought, involuntarily placing her palm on the soft part of her chin,-' I should look attentively, there's no need to rush'.

-Cook-san? - she asked as sweetly as possible to attract his attention. She needed to continue researching.

-...Yes, Robin-san?- he copied her manner of speech and answered as kindly. Nico immediately noticed that he had left usual friendly honorific '-chan' behind, and used more official and strict

'-san' instead. She decided not to mention it, at least for now.

-Could you make me a cup of tea, please?- Robin hid her expecting gaze behind a big smile.

Sanji nodded in agreement and pushed the chair forward for her comfort. She happily accepted that small gesture and sat slowly with honest gratitude. Even if her appearance was happy and calm, her eyes were sharp, like a knife, and they ran suspiciously through the room in search of clues.

While blond was adding fresh, fragrant-smelling tea leaves into the middle-sized kettle, the historian was thinking intently about her research.

'So, what do I have? Firstly, there's no hearts in his eyes anymore, as well as usual compliments, but he didn't forget about his gentleman side after all. His behavior is less, eh, "in love with any woman" like, but more serious and calm. Maybe doctor-san was talking about that? No, it is too early to make a proper conclusion...'

Sanji was acting like a professional butler: he carefully poured boiling water into the small fragile porcelain cup, and, without dropping his soft warm smile, continue looking at her face. Not even one little drop had dripped from the cup and fall on the table's wooden surface; not even one stubborn leaf had run away because of a sea breeze's pressure, didn't leave annoying green debris – everything was ideally clean, like if they were using that table at the first time. Amazing smell of a good-quality drink filled the emptiness of the room while tickling nose with a nice aroma of some juicy berries. She was about to thank him for such a service, but Sanji quickly moved closer to the fridge and took freshly cooked lemon pie, and carefully placed it to the left side of the stove. Cook used an ordinal-looking silver knife to cut a cylinder-like piece of the pie, and, after finding saucer, put that piece in it. Soon white porcelain cup and nice-looking pie were lying together, ready for her to taste them.

-Cook-san!- the woman couldn't help but scream out of amazement. -When did you cook it? Yesterday, if I am not mistaken, you had presented something else... Did you make it at night?

Sanji was not able to hide his happiness, but answered with an unfamiliar shyness:

-No, I finished it about an hour ago. I was worried that if I leave it in here, something might have happened because of the warm weather. You know, that Grand Line's climate...

-When did you wake up then?- it was too hard to hide her curiosity, her eyes were bright with wonder. 'Now it's about 6-7 o'clock. If he had already finished his cooking, then when did he started? At 4? At five? Who is cooking at five o'clock?'

Curly-brow backed away awkwardly, putting left hand on his nape. Sanji's middle was leaning on the clean (excluding some of his preparation materials lying on it) table top.

-Eh... You know, sometimes inspiration comes to people,- he made a little pause, trying to finish that sentence properly,- ...even more so if you have insomnia.

And then he realized that he hadn't given a clear answer to the question, because of what he hastened to correct the situation:

-It was about four, I guess.

Robin didn't know how to react. On the one hand, she could understand him because she also did like to do things at night, and even more, insomnia wasn't that unfamiliar; but, on the other hand, even her maximum could end reading at four, but cooking at that time... Everybody had their own methods, she thought.

-Hah, it looks like you are an early bird...- she finally found words to tell him. Sweet aroma from the tea distracted her a little, but she still was capable of thinking about her main target.

He nodded with a happy grin.

-Cook-san...- she finally decided to attack him. -Do you want to join me? It's still early, everyone is sleeping at this hour.

He looked at the ceiling with uncertainty and, after a little brainstorming, decided to accept.

-...If you don't mind.

Sanji sat close to her, in a hurry pouring himself some tea and taking out a small, less attractive piece of cake. Because he was the one who had prepared it, he did know any flew of his creation and so intently chose the worst part of it. Nico wasn't sure if he did it just because of his today's strange behavior or it was an everyday practice, but she felt guilty nonetheless. She promised herself to be more attentive to the cook after it would be over, but now wasn't the time to think about that. She didn't want to tell him about her concern straightforwardly, but it wasn't good to continue that uncertainty. Robin decided on the golden middle.

-Cook-san, sorry for being rude, but you are way too polite today, even considering gentleman side of yours.

Historian was a little upset that it really was too straightforward, but it was too late to change anything.

Sanji answered with a sigh of surprise and took a slightly cooled drink in his big hands. He, like a cat, touched tea slightly with his tongue and, after understanding that it was still too hot for his likings, returned the cup to the place it belongs to in embarrassment. It was hard not to smile, but Robin was tough enough to resist that urge.

-Do you think so?- he answered with another question, but at this exact moment she wasn't offended by such signs, which were usually considered as bad manners. -In my opinion, I'm acting like always. Eh, but if you think that something is out, I can...

-No-no, please, don't mind me... - she interrupted him, the raven-black haired woman didn't know what was happening anymore. It was really strange, but...

-Robin-san, sorry for my curiosity, but what are you reading now?- the historian was taken aback a little, but quickly regained her composure. 'He is just trying to be nice and keep up the conversation, play along with it'.

-Me? I'm afraid that you will not find anything interesting in this...

He shook his head hard, trying to give her a hint that she should continue.

-...Fine. As you know, I hope, my biggest interest at the moment is an investigation of the Lost century. Ever since my stay with a Crocodile, there were a lot of exotic books left, because, of course, even pseudo-rulers have some power. I can't say that I have already finished reading them, it's just the twelfth volume I'm in, but I can say that they are really helpful with my research.

-Too bad...- said Sanji with a note of nostalgia in his voice while taking a spoon of cake. Robin didn't get it at all, and, after he had noticed her face, full of incomprehension, he did all his best to explain himself. -I just remembered that I had a big library then I was a kid. If I still had that big amount of books, it would help you a lot. Too bad that I don't have an opportunity to share them anymore...

Robin didn't know why, but somehow, even understanding that she knew nothing about him and shouldn't be a spy because of that, she felt so warm inside. Something about his words made her feel happy. Strange desire to know him better appeared in her head, and if historian wanted to know something, there was no way to stop her.

-Cook-san? Could you tell me more about this?

-W-what are you talking about?- he said, copying her previous incomprehension.

-You said that you had a big library in the past, right? Cook-san, you were also interested in reading?- she was worried that it sounded rude as if she had intended it to sound as if she thought that he was stupid, even if he wasn't. He didn't show any signs of offense.

-Yes, but, sadly, it mostly was not the literature you are interested in - she noticed that when he was talking about childhood, his eyes held that bitter flame of a sadness. He did all his best to change the topic so that they would be comfortable with it. -I studied history back then but did not give it such importance as you did. I preferred science and adventure books and then became interested in culinary.

-Adventure novels? It is so romantic...- she said with a playful giggle. Sanji answered her with a sweet smile.

-Yeah, there should be another reason to join this crew except for a childhood's dream,- she became more and more interested in this conversation.

-What was the last book of this genre that you read? - Robin continued her examination while drinking not-that-hot-anymore tea with an incredibly tasting lemon pie, in which you could easily see a hand of a true genius.

-Hmm ...- cook thought about it carefully, eating his own piece. -I recently mentioned this book. If I am not mistaken, it was before our arrival to the Sky island. Do you remember "Norland the liar"?

As strange of a coincidence it might be, it is the last book of this genre I had read... Maybe it's because we had mentioned it not that long ago that it influenced my memory a little, I'm not sure myself.

-Really?- historian's face shined brighter than the one of a happy small kid. -And what about...

...And they had a long discussion. Nico Robin got indescribable satisfaction after finding such an interesting interlocutor. It seemed that not only Nami could keep the conversation going, which made the woman extremely happy. She hadn't thought that the cook was stupid, but he exceeded all her possible expectations with his unexpectedly deep knowledge of different subjects. Sanji wasn't just well-read, it looked like cook was a nobleman, who had a big collection of all kinds of books of completely different thematics and genres, leaving an image of a well-educated, intelligent man. It was so amazing that Robin hadn't noticed that their little banquet was over.

As the last crumb disappeared from a plate, as the last drop of a drink evaporated from a small delicate cup, Sanji, like insane, ran to wash the dishes. But, as he finished, his face shined with a shy and guilty smile.

-Thank for the сonversation, Robin-san. I had known that, without a doubt, you were amazing, but it seems that I did underestimate you,- when she was about to argue with that statement, Sanji continued,- I regret to say that, but, even if I want to, I have a work to do. The dish I am about to prepare takes hours to make... If I am late for breakfast, our rubber captain will eat me.

It was a fun joke, but that wasn't enough to fill that strange emptiness in her soul. She felt so sad that it was time to end the conversation. The woman smiled understandingly and thanked him before returning to her cabin. Robin was completely clueless and didn't know how to react because she was too (pleasantly) amazed by a sudden change of his behavior. And what she supposed to tell Chopper now?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, dear readers! Thank you for reading my story up to that point. It was my first attempt to write anything in English (I'm not a native speaker, as you can see), it means that there can be mistakes, but I'll appreciate any reviews and constructive criticism (in a soft form, please). Can't wait to hear from you!
> 
> Helgano


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